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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM / DEC. 2019
Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald cut between BYU’s Payton Wilgar, left, and Chaz Ah You during the SoFi Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 at Aloha Stadium.
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The Tennessee Titans and former University of Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald have reached an agreement on a multi-year contract, the club announced Monday on its website.
No financial terms were announced. But the Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for a minimum base salary of $610,000 for a rookie this season.
McDonald was selected in the seventh round in this year’s NFL Draft, the 224th selection overall. Last year’s similar draft slot —tight end Isaac Nauta — received a signing bonus of $100,063, according to overthecap.com. There were no quarterbacks selected in last year’s seventh round. In most NFL contracts, only the signing bonus is guaranteed.
In 2019, his fourth with UH and second as a starter, McDonald completed 63.8% of his passes for 4,135 yards and 33 touchdowns. He ranked third nationally in passing yards, sixth in total offense (322.7 yards per game), seventh in passing yards per game (295.4) and eighth in scoring passes.
In January, McDonald decided to forfeit an opportunity to return to UH for his senior season to enter the draft.
The Titans, in essence, were able to swap quarterbacks with Hawaii ties. Marcus Mariota, a Saint Louis School graduate, was the Titans’ first-round pick in the 2015 draft. After five seasons with the Titans, his contract lapsed. He signed a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Ryan Tannehill, Logan Woodside and McDonald are the only three quarterbacks on the Titans’ 2020 roster.
